Bodies of three abducted Israeli teens found under rocks in a field near Hebron, terror group blamed

ISRAEL’S PM orders a bombardment of the Gaza Strip, seeking “vengeance” for the death of three teens whose bodies were found dumped in a field.

Network Writers

APJuly 1, 201412:13pm

ISRAEL’S Prime Minister has ordered a bombardment of Palestinian strongholds in Gaza after the bodies of three missing teenagers were found dumped in a field two weeks after they were abducted.

The grisly discovery culminated a feverish search that led to Israel’s largest ground operation in the Palestinian territory in nearly a decade and raised fears of renewed fighting with Hamas.

The boys’ disappearance triggered a huge 17-day manhunt during which five Palestinians were killed and more than 400 arrested.

It also triggered a surge in rocket attacks against southern Israel by militants in the Gaza Strip, which triggered retaliatory Israeli air strikes almost nightly.

Bodies recovered ... Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, who disappeared while hitchhiking home near the West Bank city of Hebron late at night on June 12, 2014.Source:AP

Shortly after an emergency meeting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyanu’s cabinet concluded, flares, flashes and explosions were seen lighting up the night sky over Gaza and other Palestinian territories.

The bombardment has only just commenced and there are no reports yet of damage or casualties.

Israel has publicly blamed Hamas for the teenagers’ abduction and staged a major crackdown on the West Bank.

“This evening, we found three bodies and all the signs indicate that they are the bodies of our three kidnapped youngsters,’’ Mr Netanyahu told ministers at the start of the emergency session of his security cabinet.

“Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay,’’ he asserted in a statement, adding the teenagers “were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by human animals. Satan has not yet invented vengeance for the blood of a small child.’’

Vigil ... Orthodox Jews, family and friends of Israeli Eyal Yifrah, 19, one of three missing teenagers, gather out side of his home in Elad, central Israel, on Monday. Picture: AP/Ariel SchalitSource:AP

Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, a 16-year-old with dual Israeli-American citizenship, disappeared while hitchhiking home near the West Bank city of Hebron late at night on June 12 and were never heard from again.

Despite the dangers, hitchhiking is common among Israelis travelling in and out of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The teens had been studying at Jewish seminaries in the West Bank.

Grisly find ... Israeli soldiers stand next to their vehicles in the village of Halhul, near the West Bank town of Hebron, where the bodies of the three missing Israeli teenagers were found.Source:AFP

VOLUNTEER DISCOVERY

The military and the Shin Bet security agency announced late yesterday that the bodies had been found. “The bodies are currently going through forensic identification. The families of the abducted teens have been notified,’’ the army said. Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman, said the bodies were found “under a pile of rocks’’ near the village of Halhul, just north of Hebron.

Binyamin Proper, who was among the civilian volunteers that found the bodies, told Channel 2 TV that a member of the search party “saw something suspicious on the ground, plants that looked out of place, moved them and moved some rocks and then found the bodies. We realised it was them and we called the army.’’

Lockdown ... an Israeli policeman stands guard at the entrance to the village of Halhul, near the West Bank town of Hebron. Picture: AFP/Menahem KahanaSource:AFP

Israel accused Hamas of being behind the abductions and launched a frantic manhunt throughout the West Bank, arresting nearly 400 Hamas operatives in the process. Last week, Israel identified two well-known Hamas operatives as the chief suspects. The two men remained on the run late yesterday.

The search for the teens captured the nation’s attention. The Israeli media delivered around-the-clock updates on the search, and the mothers of the three teens became high-profile figures as they campaigned for their sons’ return.

Mass grief ... Israelis gather near one of the teens’ houses after the bodies were found.Source:AFP

Israelis held daily prayer vigils, including mass gatherings attended by tens of thousands of people at the Western Wall, the holiest prayer site in Judaism, and in a downtown square in Tel Aviv.

News of their deaths prompted a spontaneous outpouring of grief among Israelis. Friends and neighbours rushed to the homes of the families in the Israeli towns of Nof Ayalon and Elad, and the West Bank settlement Talmon, while supporters lit memorial candles. “All of Israel bows its head today,’’ said President Shimon Peres.

AUSTRALIA CONDEMNS DEATHS

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop this morning urged both sides to refrain from any escalation of violence, saying it would only hinder the peace process between Israel and Palestine.

But she condemned the murder of innocent civilians, and expressed her condolences to the families of the three Israeli teenagers.

“The Palestinian Authority must make every effort to apprehend those responsible for these crimes,’’ Ms Bishop said in a statement.

Friends and relatives of Naftali Fraenkel, 16, one of three missing teenagers, gather outside of his home after the announcement his body was found earlier today near the West Bank town of Hebron. Picture: AP/Olivier FitoussiSource:AP

CABINET CONSIDERS RESPONSE

Netanyahu was huddling with his Security Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers, early this morning, debating a response.

“Murderers of children and those who direct them cannot be forgiven. Now is a time for actions, not words, ”Naftali Bennett, a member of the group, wrote on his Facebook page ahead of the meeting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was huddling with his Security Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers, early this morning, debating a response. Picture: AP Photo/Sebastian ScheinerSource:AP

But Israel’s options could be limited. After a two-week crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank, few major targets remain. Hamas had already been weakened by seven years of pressure by Israel and the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli forces seemed to find very little during the latest crackdown.

Israel could turn its attention toward the Gaza strip, where Hamas is the main power. Israel has been battling a wave of rocket fire from Gaza that erupted in response to its West Bank operation. There have been near-daily rocket attacks, followed by Israeli reprisals.

Israel has not publicly provided any evidence proving Hamas involvement, and it is not clear whether the kidnappers received orders from higher-ups or acted on their own. The group praised the kidnappings, but never claimed responsibility.

”Netanyahu should know that threats don’t scare Hamas, and if he wages a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open on him,’’ he said.

Netanyahu’s spokesman, Mark Regev, said Israel would step up its calls for Abbas to dissolve the unity government he recently formed with the backing of Hamas.

Jewish leaders across the world condemned the deaths of the young men while Israelis gather and light candles. Picture: AP/Yaron BrenerSource:AP

Abbas has condemned the kidnappings, and his forces coordinated closely with Israel during the search for the teens. But he has so far refused Israeli calls to end the unity government, which ended a seven-year rift with Hamas. The Palestinian president called an urgent meeting of the Palestinian leadership to discuss the events, his spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said.

Abbas says his new Cabinet is committed to his political program seeking peace with Israel. Hamas is not part of his government, but has lent its backing from the outside.

Israelis gather in the Israeli city of El'Ad, outside the house of Eyal Yifrach ... any Israeli action to punish Hamas for the alleged murder of the three teenagers would open “the gates of hell”, the Islamist movement warned. Picture: AFP/Jack GuezSource:AFP

The unity deal ostensibly ended seven years of Hamas rule in Gaza. But the militant group remains in firm control of the seaside territory.

Jewish leaders across the world condemned the deaths of the young men. Ron Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, said the killings “must spur the world into action’’ against Hamas.

But aggressive expansion of Jewish settlements into Palestinian territory continues to draw international criticism.

The US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center called on President Barack Obama to pressure Abbas to break up his alliance with Hamas. “President Obama must tell the Palestinian people that peace and Hamas are mutually exclusive,’’ the group said in a statement.